NEW HAMPSHIRE -- A police dog who served the police department for 10 years was euthanized Monday after losing a long battle with cancer.
“This past year, K9 Max had several surgeries to remove cancerous tumors from his body,” police said in a news release. “Despite his cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatment, K9 Max continued to work along with officer Jeremy Perkins and they were an effective team until the very end.”
Police said the Belgian Malinois was responsible “for countless drug seizures, apprehensions and rescues.”
Lebanon’s police K9 teams train at the Vermont Police Academy and on several occasions, Perkins and Max were awarded the Vermont Police K9 Patrol Team of the Year award, police said.
“K9 Max spent his last day on patrol with his handler doing his duty, as he did for the last ten years,” the news release said. “At approximately 1 p.m., K9 Max and Officer Perkins arrived at the Stonecliff Animal Hospital where K9 Max entered the facility through a receiving line of police officers rendering a salute.
CONNECTICUT -- Members of a Connecticut police department stood in line to salute a terminally ill four-legged partner on its last trip to a veterinary hospital.
K9 Hunter, a German shepherd, served with the Middletown Police Department at the side of its handler, Officer Michael D’Aresta. The dog was diagnosed with an aggressive form of liver cancer just recently.
Officers bid farewell to Hunter Friday as D'Aresta cradled the canine in his arms on the final trip to the vet, where the dog was euthanized.
“Officer Michael D'Aresta unfortunately has to make the toughest decision any K9 handler dreads making this evening at Pieper Olson in Middletown at 1830 hours,” Sgt. Doug Clark, Middletown K9 supervisor, wrote in a post on Facebook on Friday.
“K9 Hunter has been ill for that past several days and when tests were conducted they revealed that K9 Hunter has a very aggressive form of Liver cancer. They unfortunately recommended that he be euthanized.”
“Officer D'Aresta and Hunter have been an exceptional team serving the City of Middletown in a high caliber since 2007,” Clark said. “So as you can imagine, this is extremely difficult for Mike and his family.”
Hunter’s value to the department was well-documented.
In July, the canine helped officers in a drug bust, the Middletown Patch reported.
Two years ago Hunter helped locate an elderly woman with dementia who wandered away from her home at night, the Hartford Courant reported.
“Hunter and Officer D'Aresta have been such a huge part of our department the past 10 years,” Clark wrote. “Such a dedicated K-9 team. It will never be the same. Rest in Peace Hunter you've done well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Michael D'Aresta and his family.”
UTAH -- It's one of the hardest decisions you can make: knowing when it's time to put your pet to sleep.
For the Coates family, it was very sad when their dog, Zoey, got sick. The family decided to take her to the vet to be euthanized.
Six months later, the Coates received a big surprise when they found out their dog was still alive.
Last fall, Zoey, a boxer, started having seizures. The dog also had a large mass on her side. The family thought it was cancerous and that it was slowly taking her life.
Tawny Coates, Zoey's owner, said her family had been through a very hard time over the past year. Her husband robbed a bank, the family lost their home after he went to prison, and then the family dog got ill.
"This felt like a final stab." Tawny Coates said. "Like it was just one too many things. I knew it was going to be what pushed my kids to their breaking point."
"I slept with Zoey almost every night," said Coates' 11-year-old son Jaxton. "She was my best friend."
On November 29, 2016, Coates asked her father to do what she could not: take Zoey to Bayview Animal Hospital in Farmington to be euthanized.
Six months later, she thought her family was ready for a new dog just like Zoey.
"I knew we wanted a boxer," Tawny Coates said. "I knew a boxer would help my son heal."
She started looking online and came across a rescue page for boxers. It was there, in the photos, that she saw an image she will never forget.
Note: I don't think Boxer Town had any idea that Mary
Smart was lying to them about this dog.
"I see the Boxer Town rescue page and I'm like, 'That looks like my dog.' Then I thought, 'I'm crazy,' but I click on it anyway and zoom in and say, 'No, that's my dog!'" Coates said.
But it couldn't be, could it?
Zoey had been euthanized and Coates had the paperwork to prove it: a receipt for $215 for euthanasia and cremation, Zoey's medical record, which lists euthanasia, and even a sympathy card from the staff at the clinic.
To figure out how this happened, KSL Investigators sat down with Dr. Mary Smart. She's the vet Zoey was brought in to see.
"From my interaction with Mr. Coates, it seemed pretty obvious to me that they didn't want the dog," Smart said.
Here's where it gets tricky. Smart CLAIMS she told Coates' father, Larry, that Zoey did not need to be euthanized.
"In my professional opinion, this was a dog that had years to live and I didn't want to put the dog down," Smart said. "I was trying to save its life."
Smart CLAIMS she discussed other options that could save Zoey. Surgery, medication, or even "do nothing," but let the dog live.
"Did he seem open to any of your suggestions?" asked KSL TV's Mike Headrick.
"No, no," Smart said. "He kept repeating that he wanted to put the dog down."
I don't believe that for one minute.
Children's grandfather says Mary Smart is a liar
Larry Coates told a different story and called Smart's explanation a "complete falsehood."
He said he did take Zoey in to be euthanized, but claims he was never given any other options that would have saved the dog's life.
Smart contacted a rescue group who was willing to take Zoey. She then took the money for the euthanasia and put it toward a surgery to remove the lump on the dog's back.
A picture of Zoey in Smart's exam room showed up on the rescue group's Facebook page the same day the Coates family thought she was put to sleep.
"Why didn't you call the family?" asked Headrick.
"I screwed up," Smart said. "I should have called the family. Had I any inkling that they might at all be interested in having the dog back, I would have for sure called. But after my conversation with Mr. Coates, it just seemed very obvious to me that they didn't want the dog."
"It breaks my heart because I don't understand why somebody would do this to my family," Tawny Coates said.
The big question for some might be: Did the vet do the right thing? In Smart's words, she was trying to save an animal's life.
For the answer, we went to Dr. Drew Allen, a member of Utah's Veterinary Board.
"A pet is legally classified as someone's property," said Allen. "As veterinarians, we're obligated to follow what we agree to do with that quote, property."
Allen said this is a legal and ethical issue. He said vets are often asked to euthanize an animal even if they don't want to. So, they have a couple choices —decline and send the pet owner to another vet or come up with another solution. But once the pet owner pays for a service, the vet is obligated to do it.
"As much as we are in this profession for the love of the animals, we need to make sure we're not putting just what we think is best for the animal above the owners and the humans involved in the equation as well," Allen said.
In the end, the Coates family did get their dog back. Now, they're making up for lost time — time that they ironically have thanks to Smart's choice.
"If I had followed procedure, if I had followed protocol, if I had done what Mr. Coates asked me, they wouldn't have their dog," Smart said. "Their dog would have been euthanized and this family would be without their dog."
So she thinks they're supposed to thank her? For lying, stealing their dog and their money, sending them fake sympathy cards while shuttling their beloved dog off into the 'rescue system' to be sold and possibly re-sold? And what slanderous and libelous things did she say to this rescue about this poor family? I don't have any reason to believe the rescue was in collusion with MARY SMART. I hope not.
The Veterinary Board might look at disciplinary action in Dr. Smart's case, but no official complaint has been filed against her.
Mary Smart needs to be prosecuted for theft. She also needs to be disciplined by the veterinary board. This is outrageous. She can bawl and whine all she wants about how, "But, but the dog's alive. If it weren't for me lying and stealing their money and stealing their dog, it'd be dead!" I don't believe for one minute that this guy was demanding this dog be put down if told the dog could be saved. He knew what the dog meant to his daughter and grandchildren. I think she made a decision that this was a 'bad family' and didn't deserve this dog. This type of behavior is rampant in the rescue community. People who do the right thing and bring their pets to the shelter to drop off (or to a vet to have the animal euthanized) are maligned and vilified for 'abandoning' their pets. I have posted on this issue previously and my thoughts.
There was also a case of a vet who lied to a family and told them he had euthanized their dog when, in reality, he kept the poor dog locked in a cage in his back office to be used as a living blood donor slave. This woman has likely done this before to who knows how many other families and this is just the first time she was caught. She needs to be prosecuted.
VIRGINIA -- The owner of a dog in Henrico was arrested, and neighbors shared photos of the dog on social media.
On July 10, 2017, police responded to 1819 Convair Lane for a report of a sick or injured dog.
Officers said the dog was taken to a veterinarian for treatment and was later euthanized.
Following the investigation, the dog's owner, Orquidea Margarita Tyndall, was charged with animal cruelty.
A neighbor said on July 10, in the heat of the day, she spotted an emaciated dog in her neighbor's yard on Convair Lane.
The friendly Pit Bull mix was missing fur on her hindquarters, her bones were clearly showing. She had what looked like a giant tumor hanging from her stomach nearly dragging the ground. Her nails were overgrown, causing her toes to spread (which can be painful).
Hall and others tried to feed her, but they said she would only drink water, which they filled for her four times.
"If I had of known then, which it has been several months, that the dog was in this condition, I would have called animal control sooner," she said. "But the grass is always so high over there."
The woman took pictures of the dog. Her neighbor posted the story on Facebook, and the post has been shared close to 200 times.
* * * * * *
“I hope you feel really great about yourself, really good about yourself,” Tyndall shouted at her neighbor.
No Orquidea, you POS. I hope YOU feel good about yourself.
There’s no love lost between neighbors, and Diamond’s owner, who insists she didn’t neglect her dog.
“I”m being accused of animal cruelty and all this craziness when in all my life I’ve never even had a charge,” Tyndall said. “I loved my dog.”
Tyndall said she’d had Diamond for 14 years and knew her dog had health problems but couldn’t afford to take her to a vet.
“She was a very elderly dog. She was a very sick dog as well, but I was trying to save up money so I could get her fixed,” Tyndall explained. “I’ve had her since she was a puppy.”
Tyndall goes to court in October. Neighbors want her held accountable.
“I believe an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” a neighbor said. “That’s just how I believe but I am glad justice was served today.”
These women are heroes for picking up the phone and doing
something, even if it meant euthanizing the suffering dog
* * * * * *
THE FACEBOOK POST THAT STARTED IT ALL
Allison Crowell added 5 new photos.
July 10 at 12:44pm · Midlothian, VA ·
I know this is going to be graphic and I'm sorry however this needs to be shared! Please share this so something can be done.
My neighbor across the street has been complaining about a slum lord rental beside her and the tenants that are there. Police have been there multiple times, they fight in the street and the grass was 4ft tall.
Well I guess they got the notice about he grass because when they mowed it she saw what she did not know was in their backyard. This is animal abuse and disgusting, they live at 1819 Convair Lane henrico va 23228.
The animal control officer Hawkins was rude and seem inconvenienced and I even called henrico county animal control to check on the dog to see if it lived or died and she would give me no information on the welfare of this dog!!!
I also asked would charges be pressed she would not answer that. They left a note on the door and left the house.
Their is a strong odor coming from the house so who knows what is going on in there or how many other animals are there. Where are the officials when needed? 😡
VIDEO NEWS CLIP #1:
VIDEO NEWS CLIP #2:
Orquidea Tyndall claims to be a Customer Service Rep at Bank of America and that she's worked there for the last 3 years. That is a pretty decent paying job. Yet she claims she just didn't have the money to end her dog's suffering...
VIRGINIA -- In an Henrico neighborhood full of animal lovers, finding a dog with signs of abuse was a heart-wrenching sight.
"They just drove off and left the dog just standing there on the hottest day," explained April Hall.
Hall said on Monday, in the heat of the day, she spotted an emaciated dog in her neighbor's yard on Convair Lane.
UPDATE: Orquidea Tyndall has been charged with animal cruelty.
The friendly Pit Bull's bones were clearly showing on her emaciated frame. She had what looked like a giant tumor hanging from her stomach. Her nails were untrimmed and overgrown.
Hall and others tried to feed her, but they said she would only drink water, which they filled for her four times.
"If I had of known then, which it has been several months, that the dog was in this condition, I would have called animal control sooner," she said. "But the grass is always so high over there."
Hall took pictures of the dog. Her neighbor posted the story on Facebook, and the post has been shared close to 200 times.
Teri Harris, another neighbor, rescues animals and did not hesitate to get the dog help. She feels this incident should send a strong message to others.
"You need to understand that it's not like a toy you buy at the store and when the novelty wears off, you put it in the corner," said Harris. "People need to be responsible for their actions."
The dog was picked up by Henrico County Animal Control, who says they are now investigating this as a case of animal abuse, but no arrests have been made at this point.
Hall and Harris are still waiting, to learn her fate, but they said they just want to help the dog to find her strength.
"If she survives, I wouldn't mind if I took her," said Harris "We'll find her a home."
